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Contrary to concerns that the terrorist attacks on New York three years ago would result in a new wave of buildings designed like concrete bunkers, skyscrapers of glass are rising around the site where the twin towers stood. Safety officials still express concern about the vulnerability to such buildings in the event of a bomb blast, but engineers and architects say lessons have been learned and no facade could withstand an assault as serious as the trade center attacks.

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In the first project of its kind in the mainland U.S., workers have completed the widening of a segmental fly-over bridge in Miami-Dade County. While segmental bridges are not unusual, the bridge presented unique challenges, such as making sure cantilevered wings could carry traffic loads when moved out to parapets. The feat was accomplished by Davie, Fla.-based Astaldi Construction Corp. and Tallahassee-based designer Corven Engineering.

Architects are increasingly turning to 3-D animation not only to offer an enhanced visualization of a to-be-built project, but to save costs. With the 3-D technology, an accurate database is created to count such details as number of doors or even light bulbs and some builders say the tool will eventually cut their construction costs in half.

Poorer nations like Mozambique and Nigeria are hurting their business development potential by imposing too many regulations, according to a new study from World Bank Group. New Zealand, the U.S. and Singapore are among the easiest places to get businesses off the ground, the study says.

As school districts prepare to launch their projects as part of Ohio's multibillion-dollar school rebuilding program, they are finding their budgets squeezed by some of the highest steel prices on record. Most steel products used in construction cost between 60% and 200% more than they did last year, and "that's a sizable impact on the projects," the Columbus district's senior executive in charge of capital improvements said.

New York is experiencing a luxury hotel renaissance, and the cluster of pricey new hotels popping up in recent months is a strong sign of economic recovery for the city that was devastated by the Sept. 11 attacks. The city's Mandarin Oriental hotel, for instance, has a presidential suite that costs a cool $12,595 per night, and the new Hotel Gansevoort features a glass facade that changes color depending on the light and a rooftop pool that plays underwater music.